Electronic content catalogs such as video catalogs display information about movies and videos available to be rented or purchased from a content provider. Generally, when more than one type of content such as standard definition (SD), three dimensional (3-D), or high definition (HD) exist, the different types are presented as separate purchases. When a purchase is made, a client device may use an Adaptive Bit Rate (ABR) technology to adjust its bandwidth in response to increases or decreases in network bandwidth. The client device is given an ABR video manifest, which is an index disclosing the various bitrates available to the client device, from which the client device chooses the most appropriate for its current bandwidth.
Some catalogs may be based on the type of device being utilized to browse the catalog or to download of the content rather than the device rendering the playback. Thus, it is possible for a customer to purchase titles that are either above the customer's available bandwidth or exceed the capabilities of the customer's playback device. For example, a customer may purchase a 3-D version of a movie, but the customer's playback device does not have a 3-D capable display screen. Extended Device Identification or EDID allows client devices to determine the video characteristics and capabilities of screens that are connected to the device. This is commonly used for PCs to adjust the resolution and frequency for a particular monitor.
Because of the adaptable nature of ABR video manifests, it is normal for a High Definition ABR video manifest to include much lower standard definition bitrates. This presents a problem when content purchased for a higher price (specifically for higher bitrates) is purchased for playback within a network where bandwidth to support the higher bitrates is not available. When a customer pays a higher price to purchase HD content, and the available bandwidth to their premises can never reach high definition bitrates, the customer is effectively receiving the standard definition content at the higher price.
Additionally, a catalog may be filtered based on the type of device being utilized to browse the catalog. This means the customer only sees catalog items that match the capabilities of the downloading device. For example, since 3-D content will not play back on non-3-D capable devices, a customer who browses the content from a PC that is not 3-D capable will never see 3-D content advertised even though the customer intends to view the content on a 3-D capable screen or monitor.